Immigration raids carried out at All Day 6 in Palace Gate and Chadni Express in Pinhoe Road, Exeter

IMMIGRATION officers have carried out raids at two businesses in Exeter and one in Dunkeswell.

Acting on information received, the UK Border Agency targeted All Day 6 in Palace Gate where two Chinese men were arrested. A 53-year-old had over-stayed his visa, while an 18-year-old had no right to work in the UK.

Officers then went to Chadni Express in Pinhoe Road.

Three Bangladeshi men aged 22, 22 and 33, were arrested after checks revealed they had all over-stayed their visas.

The agency then went to Viceroy Indian, Culme Way, Dunkeswell, where two men from Bangladesh were arrested.

Checks revealed that a 21-year-old had over-stayed his visa while a 22-year-old had entered the UK illegally.

Six of the men are being held at immigration removal centres while the 18-year-old Chinese man has been released to report to a police station while arrangements are made to remove him.

Kenny Chapman, of the UK Border Agency, said: "Our teams are carrying out operations like this across Devon on a regular basis. Offenders should know that there is no hiding place and that where we find people who are in the UK illegally we will seek to remove them.

"We are also looking to target employers who take on illegal workers and who encourage illegal immigration in the process.

"We're happy to work with businesses to let them know what checks need to be made on staff, but those who choose to break the law should know that they will face heavy fines."

All three businesses raid now face penalties of up to £10,000 for each illegal worker. To avoid a fine, the employers must provide evidence that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out like taking copies of a Home Office document or passport.